113 SRES 170 ATS: Commemorating John Lewis on the 50th anniversary of his chairmanship of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.U.S. Senate2013-06-13text/xmlENPursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.III113th CONGRESS1st SessionS. RES. 170IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESJune 13, 2013Mr. Isakson (for
himself, Mr. Chambliss,
Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Levin) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on the
JudiciaryJune 19, 2013Committee discharged; considered and agreed
toRESOLUTIONCommemorating John Lewis on the 50th
anniversary of his chairmanship of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee.Whereas Congressman John Robert Lewis was born on February
21, 1940, outside of Troy, Alabama, to parents Eddie and Willie Mae (Carter)
Lewis;Whereas John Lewis has devoted his life to safeguarding
human rights, protecting civil liberties, and building what he calls the
Beloved Community in the United States;Whereas John Lewis grew up on a farm in a family of
sharecroppers and attended segregated public schools in Pike County,
Alabama;Whereas, drawing inspiration at an early age from the
dedication and bravery demonstrated through the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis joined the movement to secure the
basic equal rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States;Whereas, while studying at Fisk University, where he
earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy, John Lewis led the charge
by unifying and organizing volunteers for sit-in demonstrations at segregated
lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee;Whereas, in 1961, John Lewis showed his bravery and
dedication while participating in Freedom Rides, challenging segregation at
interstate bus terminals throughout the South, subjecting himself to being
beaten by an angry mob, and even being arrested for peacefully confronting the
injustice of Jim Crow segregation in the South;Whereas, from 1963 to 1966, at a pivotal point in the
Civil Rights Movement, John Lewis was named Chairman of the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee, which he helped found, orchestrating student activism
in the Movement, including sit-ins, voter registration drives, community action
programs, and other activities;Whereas, at the young age of 23, John Lewis achieved
national recognition and respect as 1 of the Big Six leaders of
the Civil Rights Movement, both planning and speaking at the historic March on
Washington in August 1963, along with fellow leaders and friends such as Martin
Luther King, Jr.;Whereas, along with many others, John Lewis demonstrated
great courage by risking his life and casting light on the senseless cruelty of
the time when he was brutally attacked while leading over 600 peaceful orderly
protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, to demonstrate
the need for voting rights, on March 7, 1965, which later became known as
Bloody Sunday, expediting the passage of the Voting Rights Act of
1965 (42 U.S.C. 1971 note; Public Law 89–110);Whereas, in 1968, John Lewis portrayed wisdom in balancing
his advocacy with family, taking Lillian Miles Lewis as his wife and later
raising their son, John Miles Lewis, together;Whereas John Lewis was elected in 1986 to serve as the
United States Representative for Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District and has
capably and effectively served his constituency since then, serving as Chief
Deputy Whip for the House Democratic caucus; andWhereas John Lewis’s unwavering ethical and moral
principles have garnered admiration and respect from his colleagues on both
sides of the aisle: Now, therefore, be itThat the Senate—(1)commends
Congressman John Lewis of Georgia on the 50th anniversary of his chairmanship
of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; and(2)commemorates his
legacy of tirelessly working to secure civil liberties for all, thereby
building and ensuring a more perfect Union.